Tag: Ridgewood

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – NJSIAA Tournament – Group 4 Semifinal: Ridgewood 8, Ridge 7 (8 inn.)

In a back-and-forth affair, Ridge scored a run ion the top of the seventh to force extra innings, but Hudson Feeney’s solo home run to lead off the bottom of the eighth won it in walk-off fashion for Ridgewood, as the Maroons advanced to the state Group 4 final for the second time in four years with an 8-7 win in the Group 4 semifinals.

READ THE FULL GAME STORY HERE!

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel call all the play-by-play live from Veterans’ Park in Ridgewood, NJ, on June 8, 2026:

by Mike Pavlichko

Feeney’s solo home run gives Ridgewood 8-7 win in 8 over Ridge in state Group 4 semis

They say all good things must come to an end, and in this case, it applies not just to the game, but to the Ridge baseball team’s season.

The only team from the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area to win a sectional title this season saw its 2026 campaign come to an end in dramatic fashion Monday afternoon in Bergen County, as Ridgewood senior Hudson Feeney led off the bottom of the eighth with a solo home run to give the Maroons an 8-7 win over Ridge in the state Group 4 semifinals at Veterans’ park in Ridgewood.

In a game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, each team had plenty of chances, but didn’t always capitalize. Ridge left 13 runners on base, Ridgewood left a dozen. And the Red Devils had the bases loaded in the top of the eighth with two outs, but failed to score.

They almost didn’t get there. Ridgewood led 7-6 going into the top of the seventh, when DH Matt Pypcznske led off with a groundball to third that was booted. Then Toby Nicholson singled to left, but the left fielder Brody Perrapato saw it go off his glove, allowing Pypcznske to score the tying run. Then, on a line drive out to second baseman Justin Loffredo, he nearly got doubled off, but an errant throw – the third miscue of the inning – allowed him to go third. But he was stranded after Kieran Callanan struck out and Lucas Grob flied out to right.

Ridgewood took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second, but Ridge jumped ahead 3-1 in the top of the third. Callanan hit a fly ball to left that was dropped, turning it into a two-base error, and Lucas Grob reached on a throwing error to tie the game at one. Jake Dolan doubled, Casey Kucerka drove in the second run with a groundout to short, and Sawyer Paul reached on a 1-2 fielder’s choice that saw Dolan slide in safely to make it 3-1.

The Maroons added a run in the third, then got four in the top of the fourth – an inning that saw starter Lucas Liston hit three straight batters – but Ridge hung tough and got back in it. They wiped out a 6-3 deficit with three more in the top of the fifth. Kucerka was plunked to lead off the inning, and Sawyer Paul singled. Dimitri Romer doubled to cut it to 6-5, and after two strikeouts, Colin Newcomb singled to tie the game at 6-6.

Ridgewood would take the lead again in the bottom half, getting an RBI single from Alex DeAngelo.

Ridge saw its season end at 17-11, while Ridgewood improved to 24-7, and will face South Jersey Group 4 champion Kingsway in the state Group 4 title game at Rutgers, Sunday at 1 pm. Kingsway was a 9-1 home winner over Hunterdon Central in the other Group 4 semifinal Monday.

The win went to the Maroons’ Brady Ross (4-1) in relief. He threw four innings and allowed four hits, one unearned run, striking out three. Dolan (2-1) took the loss in a three-inning relief effort, his longest of the year in nine appearances.

Click below for postgame reaction from Ridge head coach Tom Blackwell with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko

by Mike Pavlichko

From a familiar opponent to a complete stranger, North 2, Group 4 champ Ridge travels to Ridgewood for state semis, trip to Group 4 title game

The last Somerset County baseball team to win a state championship was only two years ago, when Bridgewater-Raritan ran the table and won the Skyland Conference Delaware Division, went undefeated in league play, then won the Somerset County Tournament, North 2, Group 4 title, and the state Group 4 championship in the last high school baseball game of the year down in Hamilton.

The road hasn’t been that smooth for the Ridge baseball team, but with a sectional trophy in hand after Friday’s 3-2, come-from-behind win over neighbor Watchung Hills, it’s been one of the more rewarding titles the program has earned over the years.

Ridge players celebrate with their fans along the right field wall after a 3-1 win over Watchung Hills in the North 2, Group 4 final in Basking Ridge on June 5, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

While Immaculata was the Delaware champ, Watchung Hills won the county tournament, and Ridge (17-10) beat them in last Friday’s North 2, Group 4 sectional final, a testament to how challenging that group of six teams was this season.

But now, the focus is on the next opponent: North 1, Group 4 champion Ridgewood in the state Group 4 semifinals. And you can hear that game Monday afternoon at 4 pm – with pregame at 3:45 – as Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel call all the action live from Bergen County. Click here to listen.

The Maroons (23-7) are a solid-hitting team with very good pitching. And like Ridge, they have had some unsung heroes this year. Consider the North 1, Group 4 final against Passaic Tech, the top-seed. Third-seed Ridgewood jumped on the Bulldogs early. Despite falling behind 1-0 in the bottom of the first, they got three in the second and two in the third to take a 5-1 lead that they would never relinquish.

One big reason: Kotaro Kim, a senior right fielder who hit a huge three-run homer in the fourth, after PCTI had cut the deficit to 5-2. He was also the hero in the semifinals, belting a go-ahead two-run homer in the top of the eighth at second-seed Mount Olive, a team that earlier in the year had taken out state-ranked No. 1 Delbarton in the Morris County Tournament championship game.

So, this Ridgewood team is no joke. But then again, neither is Ridge.

In the sectional title game, Jake Dolan – who had not even thrown eight innings in relief all season coming in – got an inning-ending double play to end the top of the sixth, then shut down Watchung Hills 1-2-3 in the seventh after the Red Devils scratched across a run in the bottom of the sixth for a 3-2 lead.

Others, like senior Matt Pypcznski, have stepped in at key moments due to injury, while fellow senior Sawyer Paul seems to keep getting big hits at the plate, and also plays a solid first base.

Rigde had had a lot of contributions from everyone in the lineup this year. And if they can do that in one more game, they’ll get a chance to play for a state title.

This will be the first meeting between the schools in at least Ridge head coach Tom Blackwell’s 20-plus year tenure as head coach.

Click here to listen to Ridge head coach Tom Blackwell talk about the Red Devils’ and their Group 4 semifinal matchup at Ridgewood with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko.

Who’s next?

The winner of the Ridge-Ridgewood game moves on to the state Group 4 final, scheduled as part of a quadruple-header next Sunday afternoon at 1 pm at Rutgers University’s Bainton Field on the Livingston Campus in Piscataway – across from Jersey Mike’s Arena.

They will face the winner of the other Group 4 semifinal. That features Central 4 champion third-seed and fellow Skyland Delaware foe Hunterdon Central (18-13) and South 4 champion and top-seed Kingsway 23-5).

Hunterdon Central and Ridge – they’re both the Red Devils, of course – split a pair this year. Central won the first meeting, 12-7, at Ridge on April 7th, putting up a five-spot in the second inning. Ridge had cut the deficit to 6-4 by the fourth, but Hunterdon added another six in the sixth.

But Ridge returned the favor two days later with a 9-5 win out in Flemington. Aiden Kerrigan had a 2-for-4 day with four runs batted in, while Toby Nicholson had two RBI, Lucas Liston got the start, and Jake Dolan got the win in relief.

Somerset County in the State Playoffs

Teams from Somerset County have won eleven state titles since the NJSIAA began playing to an overall state champion in each group in 1971. Here’s a full list of the 21 appearances in the state finals by Somerset County schools:

  • 1971 – Bridgewater-Raritan East lost to West Orange (Group 3)
  • 1974 – Franklin lost to Ridgefield Park (Group 3)
  • 1975 – Manville lost to Glen Ridge (Group 1)
  • 1976 – Ridge lost to Lakeland (Group 2); Bound Brook lost to Palisades Park (Group 1)
  • 1987 – Ridge beat Hackettstown (Group 2)
  • 1989 – Bridgewater-Raritan West beat Rutherford (Group 2)
  • 1994 – Pingry beat St. Augustine (Non-Public B)
  • 1995 – Immaculata beat Gloucester Catholic (Non-Public B)
  • 1997 – Immaculata lost to Bishop Eustace (Non-Public A)
  • 2000 – Ridge beat West Morris-Mendham (Group 2)
  • 2002 – Ridge Ridge beat Dumont (Group 2)
  • 2005 – Hillsborough beat Watchung Hills (Group 4)
  • 2010 – Immaculata beat St. Joseph-Metuchen (Non-Public A)
  • 2012 – Hillsborough lost to Manalapan (Group 4)
  • 2013 – Rutgers Prep beat Morris Catholic (Non-Public B)
  • 2014 – Bernards lost to Buena (Group 2)
  • 2015 – Bernards lost to Governor Livingston (Group 2)
  • 2018 – Somerville beat Allentown (Group 3)
  • 2022 – Immaculata lost to Ranney (Non-Public B)
  • 2024 – Bridgewater-Raritan beat Eastern (Group 4)
by Mike Pavlichko

No. 8 Piscataway’s defense solves Wing-T, gets big red zone stand for 16-8 win over Ridgewood

The Piscataway offense has been up and down this year, but sometimes the best defense is a good offense. Special teams, too.

Up 14-8 early in the fourth Saturday afternoon at home against Ridgewood – after a close 4th-and-1 play gave the Maroons a first down in the red zone – the defense came up with a fourth down stop with 9:33 to play.

The offense played defense by running the ball, running it more, and then running it some more. They marched a good portion down the field, punted, and downed the ball inside the one with just 2:07 to go, taking over seven minutes off the clock.

That was the offense and special teams.

Then, the defense finished it off, getting a safety on the first play from scrimmage with 1:58 to go. With Ridgewood out of time outs – having called all three on the Chiefs’ long drive – P’way got a first down, and took a couple of knees to end it.

Piscataway junior Zaire Young scored the opening touchdown at 2:52 left in the first to make it 7-0, but Ridgewood answered just 51 seconds into the second quarter with a five-yard run and two-point conversion by sophomore Marcus Flusche to make it 8-7 Maroons.

The Chiefs would score after another long drive, this one nearly eight minutes, with junior QB Landon Pernell finding senior receiver Bryce Payne to make it 14-8.

Then came the long Ridgewood drive the Chiefs would stop in the red zone, their own long drive to eat the clock, the solid punt coverage, the safety, and – finally – the final horn.

Young finished with 158 yards and the one touchdown on 27 carries.

Click below for postgame reaction from Piscataway head coach Dan Higgins, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

by Mike Pavlichko

Old Bridge falls short in Group 4 final; Knights fall 4-0 to Ridgewood

by Korbid Thompson

The two teams on a collision course to Bob DeMeo Field in Hamilton took very different paths to get there. In the end, Ridgewood came out as a champion.

The championship season of Old Bridge – they won Central Jersey Group 4 – would have come to an end one way or the other on Saturday. Unfortunately for the Knights, they would end up on the short end of a 4-0 final at the hands of North Jersey, Section 1 champ Ridgewood (24-7) in the NJSIAA Group 4 finals at Veterans’ Park.

It was a scoreless game until the bottom of the third inning, when Old Bridge starting pitcher Justin Hascup would hit a bump in the road. Bobby Kuensler of Ridgewood started the inning with a leadoff single. Two batters later, senior third baseman Lucas Barker hit a line drive to left center field that cleared the fence for a two-run home run.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Hascup looked to be in the clear, as the inning started with two out and nobody on base, but Jay Wittmaack would the first walk of the day for the Maroons, and leadoff man J.T. Luther delivered an RBI single to bring home Wittmaack for a 3-0 Ridgewood lead. 

Old Bridge’s best chance to score some runs off Ridgewood starter Vincent Luther would come in the top of the sixth inning, when the top two guys in the Knights’ batting order would reach base to start the inning. John Smith singled, followed by a Thomas Papeo single. Two batters later, Mike Villani single to load the bases. With one out, designated hitter Frank Papeo would step to the plate. On a 1-2 pitch from Luther, Papeo would ground into a 4-6-3 double play to end the threat for the Knights.

Ridgewood would tack on one more run in the bottom of the sixth with a first and third double steal, as pinch runner Zach Kranz would score from third base after pinch runner Calder Warden would steal second, drawing the throw from Old Bridge catcher Kyle McSorley. 

That was all Vincent Luther would need. Luther would pitch 6 2/3 innings, having to exit from the mound after throwing 113 pitches on the day. Senior righty Brendan Chanley would come in to get J.T. Meyer to pop out to first base for the final out, and give Ridgewood their second state championship in five years.

As for Old Bridge, the Knights finish their season at 21-9 under fifth year head coach Matt Donaghue with a Central Jersey, Group 4 title in their trophy case.

Click below for postgame reaction from Korbid Thompson with Old Bridge head coach Matt Donaghue:

by Mike Pavlichko

Old Bridge seeks historic title in state Group 4 final against Ridgewood Saturday

Very rarely does a team play a game it knows is it’s last of the season, especially a winning team.

But that’s the case for Old Bridge Saturday, when the Central Jersey Group 4 champion Knights (21-8, 7-5 GMC Red, 2nd place) travel down to Veterans’ Park in Hamilton to take on Ridgewood (23-7, 8-0 Big North Freedom champs) at Bob DeMeo Field, in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Scroll through for a complete preview of the game:

Group 4 Finals: Old Bridge (21-8) vs. Ridgewood (23-7)
When: Saturday, 4 pm (pregame 3:45)
Where: Bob DeMeo Field, Veterans’ Park – Hamilton, NJ
Coverage: Korbid Thompson on play-by-play (click here to listen)
First Pitch Forecast: 79, partly sunny, WNW wind 8 mph (out to left field)

PROBABLE STARTERS
Old Bridge: Justin Hascup (9-1, 1.47) OR Frank Papeo (6-2, 1.56 ERA)
Ridgewood: Vincent Luthor (8-2, 1.47) OR Brendan Chanley (3-1, 1.30)

HEAD COACHES

Old Bridge: Matt Donaghue, 5th season (82-62)
Ridgewood: Kurt Hommen, 10th season

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Old Bridge head coach Matt Donaghue about the Knights’ run this season, and the Group 4 title game:

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Old Bridge (No. 1 seed in Central Jersey Group 4)

  • def. (16) West Windsor-Plainsboro North 3-0 in CJ4 1st round
  • def. (9) West Windsor-Plainsboro South 10-0 in CJ4 quarterfinals
  • def. (5) East Brunswick 8-0 in CJ4 semifinals
  • def. (2) North Brunswick 2-1 in CJ4 finals
  • def. South champion Eastern 8-6 in Group 4 semifinals

Ridgewood (No. 4 seed in North 1, Group 4)

  • def. (13) Morristown 10-0 in N1-4 1st round
  • def. (12) Paterson Eastside 14-4 in N1-4 quarterfinals
  • def. (1) Passaic Tech 8-1 in N1-4 semifinals
  • def. (2) Bloomfield 12-11 in N1-4 finals
  • def. North 2 champion Bayonne 14-13 in Group 4 semifinals

Game Preview

Old Bridge allowed just a single run – to North Brunswick in the sectional final – in four Central Jersey Group 4 playoff games, but found themselves in a tough battle with Eastern. They found a way, with timely hitting, good pitching when they needed it, and an aggressive style that caused Eastern to make mistakes they shouldn’t have. But that’s what the Knights do: put pressure on other teams. Expect them to do more of the same.

Pitch counts reset with four days in between games, so both coaches have their whole compliment available. JT Meyer was a surprise start in the Group 4 semis, and pitched well overall, the big blow a three-run home run by Sam Winsett. Justin Hascup got the win in relief, and is the more likely starter for Saturday’s game.

This is the first-ever trip to the state finals for the Knights, whose longtime skipper – and head coach Matt Donaghue’s former coach – Fred Cole brought Madison Central here in 1988, a year before they won the GMC Tournament. Their CJ4 title is their first since 2015, but they lost to Williamstown that year in the state semifinals.

Old Bridge is a veteran group. Thomas Papeo is the top hitter at .404, driving in 18 runs, while Kyle McSorley has a team-leading 27 RBIs and six home runs; both are seniors. Fellow senior Mike Villani is hitting .391 with 17 runs batted in, third on the team, and no bigger three RBIs than the ones he drove in with a bases-clearing double to left-center that tied his team with Eastern at 6-6 on Monday back at Fred Cole Field.

Ridgewood got knocked out of the Bergen County Tournament in its first game, in the Round of 16, with a 5-1 loss to Pascack Valley. But the Maroons have won nine straight since then, including their last two in their final at bat. They came from behind and scored two in the top of the seventh at Bloomfield in the North 1, Group 4 final to win 12-11, then won a back-and-forth game with a walk-off single against Bayonne to take a 14-13 decision in the group semifinals.

Ridgewood is a solid-hitting team, about 60 points higher than Old Bridge, which was right about even with Eastern. They have four regulars hitting .400 or better, led by senior JT Luther, hitting .442 with 29 runs batted in and three home runs. No one has hit more than four, but they have 18 on the year as a team. Jack Foerch hits .435 with a team-leading 35 RBI.

Pitching-wise, they don’t give up much, with an ERA of 1.73 on the season.

Can Old Bridge continue to rep CJ4?

The winner of Central Jersey Group 4 has won four of the last seven statewide Group 4 titles. That includes Hunterdon Central in 2016 and 2018, Middletown South in 2021, and Howell last season.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE OF OLD BRIDGE: